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The other day, a private advisor client said something that made me cringe.
When I asked him how much money he was spending on marketing, he replied, “I’ve spent $80k on marketing this year.”
But that wasn’t the worst part.
When I asked how many clients he had acquired for that $80k, he said, “None.”
$80k spent on marketing and not a single new client.
That's a lot of money with zero measurable return on investment.
After digging a little deeper, I found that he was spending his money on what I call “presence marketing,” or brand awareness marketing.
Now, presence marketing is an idea that goes way back to the mid-20th century.
In those days, huge corporations would flood the market with billboards, TV spots, and radio ads, hoping to lodge their brand in the minds of consumers.
The idea was simple: if your company was seen and heard everywhere, people would remember you when they needed your product or service.
Fast-forward to today, and the same thinking still influences how we approach marketing for our businesses.
Unfortunately, the reality is, it doesn’t work the way it used to.
So, here’s what I told my client: stop doing presence marketing.
The problem with presence marketing in today’s world is threefold:
- People are overwhelmed with information. They're constantly bombarded with ads and messages, so your presence is quickly forgotten.
- It doesn’t work for low-volume/high-margin businesses like yours. It’s designed for high-volume, low-margin businesses, and large corporations dominate that space.
- It commoditizes you over time and lowers your standing in the marketplace as an advisor.
Instead, here's what you need to do:
- Stop spending on presence marketing. Focus on marketing that gets real results.
- Find your niche. Identify who your ideal client is, and market specifically to them. Speak directly to their problems.
- Create a “trust asset” that addresses your ideal client's most pressing issue, showing them you're the one who can solve it.
Build your own inbound sales system so you’re not relying on lead generators who send you unqualified prospects.
This is what it means to become a “Trusted Authority” to your ideal client.
Instead of vague, general advertising, you create a specific and direct connection with people who need exactly what you offer.
You don’t need to try to be everywhere, you just need to be the authority on the issue that matters most to your ideal clients.
That’s how you cut through the clutter and build trust.
If you're ready to stop wasting your marketing dollars and consistently attract your ideal clients, order your complimentary books and consultation below.
Get Ari’s 6 best-selling books for FREE here and you’ll also receive a Complimentary Sales and Lead Generation Consultation (value $995.00). Ari Galper is the world’s number one authority on trust-based selling and is the most sought-after high-net-worth new client acquisition expert for financial advisors. His latest books "Are You Chasing Ghosts", "Trusted Authority" and "Trust In A Split Second" have become instant best-sellers among financial advisors worldwide, get your free books here.